Items Tagged ‘factory’
Metropolitan Council To Use Eminent Domain At Former Gillette Plant
Publication Date:
June 28, 2010Written By:
Chris NewmarkerSource:
Minneapolis / St. Paul Business JournalRead more...
Synopsis:
An old distribution center at the Gillette plant in St. Paul, Minnesota may soon be a maintenance facility. The regional body for the Twin Cities, the Metropolitan Council has voted to move forward with eminent domain proceeds to take over a portion of the now-shuttered site. One third of the site would be taken over which includes the distribution center which will be “retooled.” The factory shut down in 2005 after Gillette had sold off the location. Not only will the building find a new purpose but it will be utilized in the shift towards mass transit. The new light rail system will connect the cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
Apartments Planned For Thread Factory
Synopsis:
The old Synthetic Thread factory in west Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, will soon find a new use thanks to developer Abraham Atiyeh. The three-story structure will go through a $3 million dollar conversion that Atiyeh plans to have completed by the end of the year. Once finished, it will include 67 studio apartments to cater to the local graduate student population. The project will retain two of the three buildings on the site but will remove the garage. While the area is not residential, it is undergoing redevelopment with another apartment development recently completed nearby. Synthetic had been in the building since 1952 but vacated after a merger in 2004.
Ford Point
Synopsis:
History
As the largest assembly plant on the West Coast, the Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant in Richmond, California, was a major stimulant to the local and region economy. Built in 1930 and designed by Albert Kahn, Ford became the city’s third largest employer. The plant was converted for wartime production in World War II. After the war, Ford restart automobile assembly, however, that ended in February 1953. The factory was closed down in 1956 due to its inability to meet increased production demands.[1]
(Re)Developer
Orton Development (ODI) specializes in rehabilitation and redevelopment of existing sites. The firm, established in 1984, has worked on numerous mixed-use projects including properties from: General Motors Corp., US Steel Realty, Lockheed Martin, Simmons Company, British Oxygen Corp., Dillard’s Retail Corp., Del Monte, Hunt-Wesson, and American Standard.
Located in Berkeley, California, Marcy Wong Donn Logan Architects has completed numerous projects throughout California.
Outcome
ODI purchased the site from the City of Richmond in 2004 for $5.4 million, who then hired Marcy Wong Donn Logan Architects to undertake the new program design. The vacant building had been placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988, but then sustained significant damage during the Loma Prieta earthquake one year later. The City of Richmond invested $20 million over 15 years after the quake and prior to the sale to ODI.[2]
Stretching a quarter-mile long and including more than 500,000 square feet of space, the adapted Ford Point (as it is now called) is a model of sustainable design. “In an exemplary preservation turn-around, the building that once manufactured exhaust-spewing internal-combustion engines now houses ‘green’ businesses and a popular entertainment venue, all of which are revitalizing the local economy.” It is home to the Crane Pavilion (40,000 sf), a public entertainment venue and the future home of the National Park Service’s Rosie the Riveter Visitor Center. The building’s largest tenant, SunPower Corporation, has installed a state of the art solar voltaic system atop the sawtooth structure of the historic facility.
“The rebirth of the Ford Assembly Building serves as an extraordinary example of how historic preservation can be a catalyst for community revitalization, economic development and sustainability,” says Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “This is a building that California can be proud of—and that architects, developers, politicians and business owners across the country should study as a model of innovative, environmentally responsible reuse.”[3]
The Candy Factory Lofts
Synopsis:
History
Dating back to the 1930s, this warehouse is located west of downtown Toronto in the West Queen Street neighborhood. It previously had been used as a Ce De Candy Company factory, the makers of Smarties.[1]
(Re)Developer
Quandrangle Architects undertook the conversion of the warehouse. The firm focuses on the rehabilitation and conversion of existing buildings, as well as historical restorations and renovations.
Outcome
Creating new loft residences out of the factory, the building now provides a great housing option in a neighborhood of restaurants, art galleries, and bars. The six-story post and beam loft building now houses 121 loft units. Some of the amenities enjoyed by the residents include 24-hour concierge service, a party room, a guest suite, fitness room, roof terraces and wide hallways.[2]
Nozkowski and Robins Residence
Synopsis:
History
This synagogue on Hester Street in New York City has seen many uses over its lifetime. Aside from its original use as a place of worship, the building has also served as an underwear factory, shower-curtain factory, the neighborhood still, a Chinese laundry, and a fabric store.
(Re)Developer
Thomas Nozkowski and Joyce Robins married in 1967 after they finished art school. Nozkowski is a painter while his wife Robins is a sculptor.
Outcome
The couple purchased the building in 1969 and undertook the adaptive reuse project with only $3,000. They had to install the electrical and water lines. The building’s simple, open plan was consistent with their work and living philosophies. Through their studies with Abstract Impressionists, they solidified their belief that it is morally important to live and work in the same place. The synagogue-turned-studio where they worked on their art (and raised their son, Casimir) is unchanged since those renovations.
Items in the photos:
- The skylight and windows
- The balcony where women sat to be separate from men during services
- Robin’s workspace with some of her sculptures
- Refinished wood floors
- Large geometric wood-frame couch build by Nozkowski’s father
- Stained-glass window
- Rear wall used to project movies for gatherings
- Open studio space[1]
Chelsea Market
Synopsis:
History
Opening in 1913, the 11-story full-block structure from 10th to 11th Avenue and 15th to 16th Street in the Chelsea district of New York City became the most prominent part of the National Biscuit Company Complex. Designed by Albert G. Zimmerman, the complex was built on landfill. By 1958, Nabisco (National Biscuit) was had moved its operations to New Jersey. The buildings were sold in 1959 and had spotty use for the next few decades.
(Re)Developer
Irwin B. Cohen organized a syndicate to purchase the complex. The purchase was successfully done in the 1990s and the conversion began.
Outcome
The adaptive reuse of the complex began by converting the upper floors for office tenants. The building has become a hub for technology companies. The ground floor was reconfigured and a long interior arcade was created as home for food stores. “To walk through the Chelsea Market is to stroll through a sort of postindustrial theme park, carefully festooned with the detritus of a lost industrial culture, interspersed with food stores and restaurants.”[1] The rebirth of the Nabisco building ushered in a new beginning for the Chelsea neighborhood as new ventures and residences have made their own home in surrounding old factories.
Artists, Musicians Take Over Former Wonder Bread Site
Synopsis:
Efforts are underway to adaptively reuse the old Wonder Bread factory in Columbus, Ohio. Wonderland, the newly-formed nonprofit organization made up of innovative entrepreneurs, is undertaking the project to convert 65,000 square feet of the building. “It will combine artist studios, shared office space, band rehearsal and recording facilities, venue and performance space, gallery space, and a mix of start-up and established retail all under one roof. The goal is to provide a resource for artists, musicians, and small businesses to achieve individual success, as well as to establish an icon in Columbus that highlights (its) outstanding local creative industries to the world.”
Pittsburgh Opera
Synopsis:
History
George Westinghouse built the structure back in 1869 to serve as his original air brake factory. The 45,000 square foot building is located in Pittsburgh’s Strip District.[1] The plant stopped production around 2000.[2]
(Re)Developer
Originally known as the Pittsburgh Opera Society, the organization was founded in 1939 and is the eighth oldest company in the United States. In addition to its mainstage productions, Pittsburgh Opera produces a range of programs to engage and enrich the community with more than 20,000 students, families and educators participating in its educational events annually. The internationally renowned Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artist Program is among the country’s top five training centers for rising opera stars and the administrative and rehearsal space provides for events ranging from free community Brown Bag concerts to concert recitals by world-class opera singers. Pittsburgh Opera’s long-standing commitment to artistic excellence, responsible financial management and good neighborship will play a key role and asset for the city of Pittsburgh.[3]
Outcome
The new facility has provided Pittsburgh Opera with the space to house the resources needed to better prepare for performances at the Benedum, while opening up a whole new way for the community to experience all the artistry that is part of opera. In an effort to maintain the Company’s mission to enrich Pittsburgh and the tri-state area, the Opera has committed to the use of sustainable methods in the renovation and maintenance of the new headquarters, striving to obtain a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Operations and Maintenance Certification in early 2010.[4]
A number of sustainable features are a result of the project renovation; including, the installation of low flow water fixtures, occupancy sensors, efficient lighting, new mechanical equipment, and daylighting. Other elements have influenced the building’s ongoing operations; areas of continued focus include:
- Recycling
- Sustainable Purchasing
- Water Conservation
- Wellness
- Employee Education
- Green Cleaning
- Building Air Quality Monitoring
- Responsible Site Management
- Energy Management and Usage Reductions
- A Green Practices Team, “Team Verde”[5]
